Install slrn with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• slrn
• slrnpull

Project history

The official site summarizes slrn as an S-Lang-based newsreader that runs in console mode on Unix-like systems and other platforms, supports scoring rules, custom key bindings, S-Lang macro extension, and offline reading through `slrnpull` or local news servers.

The official download page recommends using distro packages where available, offers release tarballs from jedsoft.org, and says development source is managed with git. The GitHub repository README points back to slrn.info as the home page and documents the bundled files, including the manual, first-steps guide, sample `slrn.rc`, scoring documentation, and `slrnpull` setup material.

Adoption history

slrn's adoption belongs to long-running Unix and Usenet culture rather than modern web growth. The input facts list packages in apk, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/dnf, MacPorts, and Ubuntu, reflecting a tool that distributions keep available for users of NNTP and terminal mail/news workflows.

The official site itself recommends Linux users install their distro's package-manager version when possible, which is a direct acknowledgement that package managers are the normal delivery channel for many slrn users.

How it is used

The First Steps document tells Unix users to copy an example `slrn.rc` to `~/.slrnrc`, set identity variables such as `hostname`, `username`, and `realname` when needed, set `$NNTPSERVER` for the preferred news server, and run `slrn --create` to fetch the initial group list.

For authenticated NNTP servers, the same document points users to the `nnrpaccess` command, and the sample `slrn.rc` shows `nnrpaccess "news.doe.com" "john" "secret"`. That makes the configuration file also the documented place credentials may be stored.

Why package nerds care

slrn matters to package-manager culture because it is a classic terminal network client with deep configuration, local files, scripting, scoring rules, and offline helper tooling.

It also represents the persistence layer of Usenet in modern package managers: even as Usenet became niche, users can still install a maintained console client and its helper program through ordinary system and developer package workflows.

Timeline

• 1994: Official site says slrn was first made available.
• 2015: First Steps document version 1.0.2 dated June 2015.
• 2016: Official site says release 1.0.3a came out in 2016.
• 2020: Official download page last updated June 2020.
• 2021: Official home page last updated June 2021.

Related projects

• slrn is built around NNTP and Usenet and is closely tied to the S-Lang library and macro language.
• Related tools and modes documented by the project include `slrnpull`, local news servers such as leafnode and INN, external editors through `$EDITOR` or `$VISUAL`, and scoring files.

Sources

• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/slrn.json
• https://github.com/jedsoft/slrn
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jedsoft/slrn/master/README
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jedsoft/slrn/master/doc/slrn.rc
• https://slrn.info/
• https://slrn.info/docs/FIRST_STEPS.html
• https://slrn.info/docs/slrn-manual.html
• https://slrn.info/download.html